Silicoflagellidae

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Silicoflagellidae

 

a family of protozoans of the order Chrysomonadina, class Mastigophora. They are marine forms with one flagellum and yellow chromatophores. The silica skeleton is shaped like a ring or a latticed basket. Silicoflagellidae make up dwarf plankton (nannoplankton); their dimensions are less than 50 microns. They are sometimes found in large numbers. Their skeletons are well preserved in the fossil state and serve as index fossils in stratigraphy.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.